Part of the Yiddish Book Center's Online Lecture Series

"Yiddish con Salsa: The Jews of Latin America" is a lecture series by Professor Ilan Stavans. The lectures address questions such as: Who are the Jews of Latin America? How have their lives and cultures been shaped by the history of Jews in Spain and Portugal, Russia and Poland? What is their place in the societies of South and Central America today?

Lecture 1 – Jews and Latinos: Unlikely Partners

An introduction to Jewish life in the Hispanic world, from its inception after the fall of the Second Temple to the present time. This lecture will concentrate on the aftermath of the 1492 expulsion from Spain and the diasporic journeys across the Americas, highlighting the social, ideological, cultural, and religious challenges Jews have faced. Several themes will be explored, including anti-Semitism, assimilation, religious fervor, and the Holocaust, as well as Israel and Zionism.

Q&A 1

Lecture 2 – The Converso as Metaphor: The Legacy of Secrecy

A reflection on the impact of the Spanish Inquisition on Jews in both Spain and the Americas. This lecture will examine the roots and evolution of the Inquisition, the policies of forced conversion, the emergence of a new class of citizens known as “new Christians,” and the endurance of faith through secrecy. It will scrutinize the shaping of national, collective, and individual identities among Jews from 1492 until today.

Q&A 2

Lecture 3 – Magical Realists with Yarmulkes: The Writer as Activist

An examination of Jewish literature in Latin America through the voices of important writers such as Alberto Gerchunoff, Jacobo Timerman, and Moacyr Scliar. This lecture will highlight the significant place these writers occupy alongside non-Jews like Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Fuentes, and Mario Vargas Llosa. It will examine the tradition of activism among Jewish writers and their embrace of magical, exotic themes in their art.

Q&A 3

Lecture 4 – Yiddish con Salsa: Adventures of  "mame loshn" in the Hispanic World

An exploration of the linguistic journey of Jews in Spain and the Americas, starting with Spanish, Portuguese, and Ladino, and continuing to Yiddish, Hebrew, and English. This lecture focuses on the arrival of Yiddish to Argentina in the late nineteenth century. It looks at the uses of Yiddish among the immigrant generation and the strategies that subsequent generations have employed to keep the language alive. The lecture will highlight the uses of Yiddish in education, politics, and entertainment.

Q&A 4

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